The Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has debunked some claims about some Member of Parliaments enjoying free fuel and food in the country.

According to him, MPs pay for the use of their fuel in transporting themselves and subsequently indicated that legislators are not provided with free food. Mr Dafeamekpor recounted that the number of times he along with his colleagues have purchased kenkey and fish for lunch.

“People think that we get free fuel. Somebody told me last week he is horrified we buy our fuel. People think we are fed every day in Parliament. We buy our food. We are not given free food and fuel every day as people”.
Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor

Commenting on the hike in fuel prices, he revealed that the average Ghanaian is not the only one affected by the surge in fuel prices as “the prices are biting all of us”.

Following the increase in fuel prices which previously averaged GHS6.4 per litre some weeks ago and the reinstatement of the Price Stabilisation and Recovery Levy (PSRL) by the National Petroleum Authority, some social media users called for MPs to pay for their fuel to appreciate matters on the ground.

The prices of diesel and petrol in recent weeks have increased by over 30 per cent and are selling at ¢8.29 at the pumps. Due to this, commercial drivers have adjusted transport fares upwards by 15 per cent. As a consequence, the Minority in Parliament served notice that it will haul the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, before the House to present government’s response plan to end the hikes in fuel prices. The South Dayi MP subsequently expressed that legislators are also encountering similar difficulties with the delay in payment of salaries.

Increase in fuel prices

On March 2, 2022, the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana, COPEC, predicted that fuel will sell at GHS 9.00 per litre by close of March this year. According to COPEC, the unprecedented hike in the prices of fuel is partly due to the depreciation of the cedi and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a move affecting international market prices.

“What the situation in Ukraine will mean is that international market prices will continue to surge. Again, we also have a situation where the cedi is not doing so well. I foresee the Ghanaian fuel prices crossing GHS 9.00 per litre before the end of the month”.
COPEC

The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers’ (COPEC) Executive Secretary, Duncan Amoah, revealed that he had expected the increase to be much higher. COPEC had previously warned that if nothing is done by authorities in Ghana, regarding the rising fuel prices on the global market as Russia invades Ukraine, fuel prices could cross the GHs8 mark at the pumps in the first pricing window of March.

The Institute for Energy Security (IES) also predicted a four percent increase in the prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Diesel, and Petrol at the pumps in the first pricing window of March.